Updated: Crane's arm ploughs into bus

A passenger on a bus which was hit by the arm and jib of a crane said this afternoon that it was only by the grace of God that no one was seriously injured, or worse.

Victor Borg said he was sitting in the middle of the 45 bus, bound for Cirkewwa, when it stopped at a bus stop in front of Kinds showroom between Lija and Mosta at about 9.30 a.m.

"All of a sudden we heard this huge noise from the back. I thought somebody had driven into us and then we saw the arm of the crane and the jib which had ploughed into the bus as far as the last two rows.

"Luckily the jib was above the passengers, and no one was standing," Mr Borg said.

"Although the bus was extensively damaged the driver impressed by remaining calm and helped to calm the passengers especially those at the back.

"A young foreign lady was hysterical. She was screaming and her hair was full of small pieces of glass," he said.

Medical help arrived quickly, possibly from a nearby establishment. The police and an ambulance crew also arrived within minutes and took the young woman and two elderly persons to hospital, possible for treatment for shock.

He explained that the crane was being carried on a trailer and the crane arm protruding some two metres in front of the driver's cabin. The driver of the trailer appeared to be shocked and did not get out of his seat for quite some time.